20th July….
Today in 1973 was officially the end of the original Hunslet Cricket, Football and Athletic Club. They had been negotiating with the Council for a new stadium but the Council’s insistence on a £10,000 annual rent was beyond the means of the club’s directors and they announced their closure as a professional Rugby League club. The papers on the 21st concentrated on the fixture problem this caused for the Rugby League as the season was only 4 weeks way.
Meanwhile in 1997, the regular league season came to an end with the largest ever score against York in 62-6 home win. Hunslet finished top of Division Two and were promoted to the Division One Championship. They then entered the Premiership Play-Offs, a league format followed by a knock out stage.
And still the Tour matches came with two today. 1910 saw Fred Smith scoring a try in a 29-0 win over New Zealand Maori at Nelson and Geoff Gunney played for Great Britain against France at Benoni in South Africa on their short promotional tour following the 1957 World Cup in Australia. The match was an exhibition of try scoring as GB won 61-41.
21st July….
New Zealand Maori also featured today in 1954 with Ginger Burnell helping out in a 14-4 win at Whagarei.
22nd July….
Registered by club today in 1948 was wingman Keith Bowman. Signed from Pocklington RU for £275, Keith was with the club for five seasons making 113 appearances and scoring 56 tries and one solitary goal (in 1951 against Leeds at Parkside – a drop goal to close a half-time 9-12 deficit to one of two points). He played two games for Yorkshire in 1952. In 1953 Keith transferred to Hull where his father Harold had played for 18 years.
Another registration today was George Wishart in 1913, signed from Ardinlea AFC. Although he only played two first team games, he is noteworthy for being the second of Hunslet’s players to be lost in the Great War.
